InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the signing of two new hotels in Abu Dhabi which will mark the entry of a second InterContinental and second Holiday Inn property into the UAE capital.

A 20-year management agreement was signed with the National Corporation of Tourism and Hotels for InterContinental Abu Dhabi – Grand Marina.

Located in close proximity to InterContinental Abu Dhabi, the new 184-key hotel will feature rooms and serviced apartments along with a range of exciting food and beverage and entertainment facilities.

These include a Michelin star signature restaurant with a rooftop bar; a lounge and bar with a terrace and private dining rooms; a destination bar as well as a premium spa and pool.

Due to open in 2016, the hotel will also have extensive meeting space catering for the ever growing Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions (MICE) market.  

IHG also signed a management agreement with Pearl Azure Hotel Management for the 257-key Holiday Inn Downtown Abu Dhabi, which will be a conversion of the current Sands Hotel in downtown Abu Dhabi.

Featuring a restaurant, bar, pool, fitness centre and dedicated meeting space, the new hotel will undergo a refurbishment and open as a Holiday Inn by the end of 2014.

The National Corporation of Tourism and Hotels and Pearl Azure Hotel Management already have three IHG properties in their portfolio across the UAE: InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi and Crowne Plaza Dubai.

Along with these new signings comes a renewal of the management agreement for the existing InterContinental Abu Dhabi.

Pascal Gauvin, the chief operating officer, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG, said: "As the capital of the UAE and one of the fastest growing cities in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi is a key market for IHG and we see strong potential for all our brands here."

"Our Owners play an important role in our growth strategy and we are committed to building long-term relationships with them. We have had a long and successful partnership with the National Corporation of Tourism and Hotels and Pearl Azure Hotel Management for nearly two decades now," he stated.

"The signing of the new InterContinental and Holiday Inn is a fantastic step in for both our Owners and IHG and we look forward to continuing our partnership to develop more industry-leading hotels for the growing travel market in Abu Dhabi," he added.

Mohamed Mounib, the Group CEO for National Corporation of Tourism and Hotels and Pearl Azure Hotel Management, said: "We have been working with IHG for about 20 years now and the three properties we have under their management have seen steady growth and healthy returns over the years."

"With the growth in demand for midscale hotels in the UAE it is also a good time for us to add the Holiday Inn brand into our portfolio. We are very pleased to be extending our partnership with IHG to add two new hotels to Abu Dhabi, which puts us in a good position to cater to the growing number of business and leisure travellers in the city," he added.

IHG currently has 18 hotels open in the UAE across five brands, with another seven in the pipeline. There are five IHG properties operating in Abu Dhabi: an InterContinental hotel, two Crowne Plaza hotels, a Holiday Inn and a Staybridge Suites.

This latest announcement brings the total number of properties in IHG's development pipeline for Abu Dhabi to three, including a new Staybridge Suites which will open in the next three to five years.-TradeArabia News Service